Chad

Swiss foreign policy in Chad aims to reduce acute fragility through poverty alleviation, the mitigation of humanitarian shocks caused by armed conflict and drought, and the promotion of peace. These objectives are achieved by means of three foreign policy instruments: development cooperation, peace policy and humanitarian aid. Chad is a priority country for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which focuses its activities in the country on basic education and vocational skills development, agriculture and food security, citizenship, peace and the prevention of violence. Gender equality and good governance are cross-cutting themes promoted in all its activities.

Chad is a fragile state with a high level of poverty. The fall in the price of oil plunged the country into a deep economic crisis in 2017, placing it at rank 186 out of 188 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index. Spaces for dialogue and citizen participation are limited by the ever-present control of the state. The illiteracy rate is estimated at 78%, and nearly 3.5 million people are facing food insecurity. While the government continues to prioritise its security agenda and to stifle investment in the social and economic sectors, the quality of basic services is low and the population is growing at a rate of 3.6%.

Switzerland aims to assist Chad in reducing fragility through sustainable development that guarantees food security, increases the quality of education and enables better governance and the decentralisation of basic public services. The SDC operates at national, regional and local levels and focuses its cooperation activities on six regions in north-eastern, central and southern Chad.

Citizenship, peace and the prevention of violence

Political dialogue and strengthening the administration of basic services

In the fragile context of Chad and the subregion as a whole, the consolidation of peace is a priority. Switzerland is strengthening mechanisms for resolving conflicts. It supports activities aimed at promoting national dialogue, in particular through the creation of spaces for dialogue to rebuild trust between political actors and civil society.

Switzerland also strengthens the rule of law through the promotion of local agreements aimed at the harmonious use of land and water resources and improving the social cohesion of communities riven by conflict. The SDC's efforts to strengthen the administration of basic services are focused on the health sector and the planning and use of water resources. For example, it has enabled 55,000 people – 50% of them women – to obtain health insurance.

Citizenship, peace and violence prevention(fr) 

Basic education and vocational skills development

Improving the quality of education

As the leading agency for technical and financial partnerships, the SDC plays an active part in the dialogue on education policy. It aims to improve the quality of education and helps to develop educational programmes adapted to the needs of marginalised groups. For example, mother-tongue instruction in schools has resulted in a marked improvement in children's learning. The SDC also supports the development of innovative and diversified vocational skills development programmes that enable young people and women to acquire the skills needed for socio-economic integration.

Education 

Agriculture and food security

Diversification of agricultural production and higher incomes for rural households

The SDC aims to ensure food and nutritional security through sustainable agro-pastoral systems. It helps improve knowledge and management of water resources, and has thereby increased the income of farmers in targeted valleys. It supports the protection of pastoral livestock farming and the establishment of a legal framework (including legislation on seed) that favours the development of the agricultural sector. The SDC's support for the revitalisation of the shea nut and peanut sector has enabled smallholder farms to double their income.

Agriculture and food security 

Swiss cooperation instruments in Chad

Synergy between development aid, humanitarian aid and peace policy

Switzerland supports Chad through the concurrent, coordinated provision of humanitarian aid and development aid and the promotion of peace and human rights. This complementarity increases aid effectiveness and is crucial to help the country reduce fragility. Thanks to this approach, displaced populations can, for example, be integrated in seed production chains and humanitarian organisations can buy seeds produced by local farmers.

The FDFA is exploring synergies between the three complementary instruments it employs in its cooperation activities in Chad. Swiss Humanitarian Aid operates in the fields of food security, population movements (protection and integration) and health emergencies. The Human Security Division focuses on conflict prevention and resolution, political, social, intra- and interfaith dialogue, and the prevention of violent extremism. The South Cooperation Department works in the fields of education and vocational skills development, governance and rural development.

Approach and partners

As part of the 2018–21 strategy, Swiss programmes are implemented by national and international NGOs and companies recruited through international competitive bidding and carried out in close cooperation with relevant government departments and local authorities. The main partners are the following:

• Swiss NGOs: Enfants du Monde, Caritas, Swissaid, Swisscontact

• Research: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics of the University of Neuchâtel, Consortium of Institutes and Universities of Chad, Chadian Institute of Agricultural Research for Development

• Government: ministries, regional/local authorities

• Chadian NGOs: e.g. Support Centre for International Health, Bureau d'études COSSOCIM

• International NGOs and agencies: e.g. CIDR, CIRAD, CA 17 International, GIZ

• Multilateral organisations: e.g. UNICEF, FAO, ICRC, WHO, UNHCR, OCHA, WFP.

• Bilateral donors: public development agencies (Germany, France) 

Working approaches and principles